UPDATE: As of March 6, 2020, the Animal Agtech Innovation Summit has been postponed due to the travel difficulties and restrictions surrounding the coronavirus, says Jennie Moss, Founder and Managing Director, Rethink Events.

As such, the Manure Innovation Challenge will not take place on March 16. Details about the conclusion of the Challenge are currently being decided, and will be posted as they become available.

Original story:

The Manure Innovation Challenge will take place on Monday, March 16 at the Animal AgTech Innovation Summit in San Francisco. The Challenge will see eight international start-ups pitch their technology to an audience of high-profile investors and industry leaders. The technology being pitched represents an innovative solution to capture value from manure-based nutrients. One of the start-ups will win the Challenge’s $50,000 cash prize.

The Challenge started in late summer/early fall of 2019 with the intention of drawing attention to manure management services, products and agriculture technology business models. More than 60 applications were received, which were whittled down to the eight finalists who will give their pitches in a couple weeks. Part of participation in the Challenge involves a year-long program with mentorship and entrepreneurial networking, with each participant receiving a mentor that will help them take their project to the next level.

Sustainability and creating revenue from waste and by-products are two goals of the Challenge. Each of the start-ups approaches this from a different perspective and is at a different point in the process of bringing their project to fruition. The eight finalist start-ups are:

The Challenge started in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Dairy Farmers of America and Newtrient, and is sponsored by Cargill, the Maschhoffs and WeWork Food Labs. For more information on the Manure Innovation Challenge or the Animal AgTech Innovation Summit, visit https://animalagtech.com/.

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